Midnight Rendez-Vous
by ThePreciousHeart
Summary: When night falls, Nami the navigator always takes watch over their ship. Sometimes she's alone, sometimes she gets company. Luffy/Nami one-shot, set somewhere between Skypeia and the games on Long Ring Long Land.


**AN: This is my first work for the fandom One Piece, and there will probably be more eventually... I hope it doesn't suck. :D**

Dusk was setting in across the Grand Line, the sky's natural bright blue giving way to shades of pink and purple leaning towards black. The colors stretched out across the horizon for as far as the eye could see. Down below, the _Going Merry_ bounced across choppy waves, rocking from side to side. Not that any of the crew was worried about this, of course. Compared to some of the stranger weather conditions they had seen on the Grand Line already, turbulent waters were a cakewalk.

One by one each crew member slipped off to bed, taking their constant chatter with them until only one was left on board- Nami, Log Pose in one hand and telescope in the other. She stared out across the high seas for a long moment before climbing up to her lookout spot and pulling up a chair to wait out the first watch of the night.

Being the navigator, it was only natural that Nami take the first watch, and she liked to relish every hour. Sure, some of her stronger crewmates could guard the ship better than she could, but the fact remained that she was the only one who completely understood how to steer the ship along its course. As the sky faded and lapsed into darkness at last, Nami pulled a blanket around her shoulders and stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. It had been easy to wrangle Sanji into taking the second watch- all she'd had to do was say his name and he came bounding to her like an eager puppy. Sometimes she swore she could see him writhing and salivating like one, too. Robin had then offered her service for the rest of the night. If there were any portable lights on the ship, Nami would have assumed Robin would spend the whole time reading.

At the beginning, before they were seven and before even the first island, Sanji had been adamant that Nami shouldn't have to stay up at all during the night- "a woman as lovely as you needs her beauty sleep!" Nami, however, didn't mind these silent nights with nothing but her and the sea. Getting some much-needed alone time was worth a few bags under the eye, especially with so many blundering men onboard with her. (That was definitely a perk of Robin's presence on the _Going Merry_ , although Nami still wasn't quite sure what to make of her. At least she understood Nami from a woman's point of view, though, which none of the boys would ever truly get.)

After a long moment of watching the sea engulf the sun whole, swallowing it until only specks of starlight remained to light her way, Nami rose from her seat and turned around to inspect the distance they'd traveled over the course of the day. Standing so high up here, she almost felt like it was herself that the sea was about to swallow up. Or perhaps she was about to fall upwards into the sky…

Suddenly, at that very moment, two heavy weights clamped down over her eyes, momentarily blinding her. A high-pitched, scratchy, and much too familiar voice sounded gleefully behind her- _"Guess who!"_

"Luffy?!" Nami sputtered, her hands automatically flying up to yank his off of her eyes. "How'd you get-" Her words died in her throat as she spun around and saw that Luffy was standing on the lower deck of the ship, instead of right behind her as she had expected. He'd stretched his arms out to reach her. Even in the darkness of night, she could still see that infuriating, ear-to-ear grin beaming like a beacon. His arms snapped back into place and he gave Nami a wave.

"If you're going to be up at this time, you better stay quiet!" Nami reprimanded her captain. She swallowed a sigh. _What an idiot…._ "Everyone else is probably trying to sleep. Speaking of which… what are _you_ doing up?"

Luffy shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "I got hungry." His statement was so matter-of-fact that Nami wanted to smack her forehead, even though she could find no flaws with that logic. Who did he think was going to make him food, with Sanji asleep?

"So… you came up to annoy me?"

"Oh," Luffy replied, dropping his arm and his grin. "Sorry." Of course he didn't sound sorry at all- he hardly ever did- but gazing down at his innocent intent, Nami couldn't help but let her heart soften. Ever so slowly she inched aside, letting her gaze drift away from him, playing it cool. Would he take the chance tonight? There was hardly ever any consistency with this guy; sometimes he came out to see her on watch and sometimes he didn't, and it was never a given on those times that he did come out to see her that he would want to start… whatever it was they did together. Luffy was one of the most mercurial people Nami had ever met, his desires changing with each new impulse like the weather changed with each shift in the climate.

One thing was for sure, though- Nami couldn't very well ask for it. To voice her own desires would make them too real, creating a wall between her and Luffy that she had no intent on scaling. Speaking at all during these midnight _rendez vous_ had always seemed taboo.

She waited, hardly even noticing she was holding her breath… only to let it out in a rush when Luffy bounded up the stairs, his footsteps so violent they shook the floor. So he _was_ taking the chance tonight. Luffy moved in close to Nami, though not so close that she felt her personal space was violated. However, he _was_ just close enough for her to catch the scent of sweat on his body (how long had it been since he'd taken a bath?), feel the warmth radiating from his skin, and sense that his eyes were on her.

Carefully she slid a glance his way, meeting his gaze, and took a small step closer, bridging the gap between them. Funny how from a distance- and indeed, from most of the crew's point of view- Luffy's eyes looked so dark they were black, but when Nami was standing this close to his face, it became clear that they were in fact a very dark shade of brown. She reached out and causally placed a hand against his shoulder, drawing herself closer to his unmoving body. How different Luffy looked when he wasn't wearing a smile. She almost preferred it. That wasn't to say Luffy looked _bad_ when he smiled- in fact, the more of that irritating smile Nami saw, the more it grew on her- but when he stayed quiet and motionless like this, he took on a completely different role in Nami's eyes. No longer did she see the hyperactive captain of the _Merry_ who charged blindly into danger when he wasn't sleeping or chowing down on meat. Instead, when Luffy was calm like this Nami saw him transform into the man who had saved her life and her village at Arlong Park, who had fought to give the Alabastans and the Skypeians their homeland back. If she leaned in even closer, she could even see the electric charges sparking in his eyes, driving him on with pure optimistic ambition. That loud, but somehow enticing voice echoed faintly in her ears- _"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"_ Honestly, whenever Nami saw Luffy like this she really and truly believed him. She'd be downright crazy not to.

All of a sudden Luffy's arm had folded around Nami's waist, naturally adjusting to the curves of her body like two puzzle pieces slipping into place. Nami slid both hands up to clasp Luffy around the neck as he looped his arm further around her, making use of his elastic abilities to keep holding her in tighter and tighter coils. Any other member of the crew would surely complain at being grabbed like this, but Nami somehow didn't mind it. In fact, he was the only man she had met so far whom she felt this comfortable with touching. She could feel his warm breath against her cheeks as he cradled her close, his eyes drilling deeply into hers.

Then those eyes closed, and Nami let herself go for a moment, sinking into Luffy's warm body. (No- not Luffy's body, just a body, the body of a friend who cared for her and whom she cared for in return, that was all. When Nami's eyes were closed and she was aching for the next touch, Luffy's identity was the least of her concerns.) All she was conscious of was the surprising softness of his lips, their rubbery taste that she was getting to like the more she experienced it, and the gentle stirring of the wind against her hair.

Eventually they broke apart, and Luffy retracted his arm and stepped back as if nothing had ever happened. That was pretty much par on course for the night. The kisses never lasted very long- at most, Nami was only ever able to get three in a row. At least the stretchy hug made up for it. She opened her eyes and, before Luffy could step completely out of reach, let her hand drift up from his shoulder to his cheek. Most of her was expecting Luffy to pull completely away, maybe even jerk back to avoid her touch- but this time Luffy stayed still as Nami traced the outline of his scar with her thumb, as always completely fascinated by its presence. Never had she seen his rubber body form scars, not even when he was riddled with bullets. Whatever left this scar must have attacked before he ate the Gum-Gum fruit- when he was just as defenseless as she was. The thought was a chilling one, and Nami tried her best to set it aside.

"What're you doing, Nami?" Luffy piped up then, reaching to cover her hand with his. Startled, Nami inched back, breaking their contact. A strange feeling of guilt seeped through her as their eyes met. Somehow it seemed wrong to have been wondering about Luffy's past when he was right in front of her. All that mattered was that he was here now, with her.

Still, Nami couldn't keep herself from finally blurting it out. "Where'd you get your scar from?"

"Hm?" Automatically Luffy pressed his hand against his cheek, running his finger along his scar. "Oh, that. I stabbed myself in the face."

The utter blasé-ness of this statement almost made Nami do a double take. "What'd you do a stupid thing like _that_ for?"

The only response Nami got was a shrug, which was enough for her to roll her eyes and turn away. _Fine, go ahead and don't tell me_. _What an IDIOT._ However, this time the insult that Nami hurled in her head seemed to fall flat. Luffy wasn't an idiot, not _really…_ his mind just worked far, far differently than hers, even from the rest of the crew. She'd seen him act under bizarre impulses that at first seemed like stupidity to her, but were eventually revealed to just be problem-solving from a different angle. If Luffy had inflicted his scar upon himself, he _must_ have had a legitimate reason.

 _Still,_ she couldn't help but think, _he shouldn't have to hurt himself for any reason, especially if he wasn't able to heal like he can now. He may not fear death, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't take care of himself…_

Shaking away these oddly warm thoughts, Nami sank back down into her chair and turned her attention to the stars overhead. Many years ago she had taught herself all of the constellations, and reciting their names still served as an amusement now. The stars had been one constant during her life indebted to Arlong. No matter where she was, whose treasure she was stealing, or what map she was being forced to draw, Nami had always been happy to look up.

So entranced was she in observing the constellations that she almost didn't hear Luffy come around to sit next to her by the chair. Only her peripheral view gave away his presence. Out of the corner of her eye, Nami watched Luffy settle himself into his usual sitting position, pressing the heels of his feet together. He stayed like that for a while, sitting and saying nothing, despite herself a swelling of warmth filled Nami's heart. Oh, why couldn't her captain be like this all the time…?

For a few minutes she sat, tremendously tempted but unsure of how to initiate the contact. Luffy always made it feel so _natural_. When it came to what Nami wanted she couldn't help but feel clumsy. Finally, though, she grew tired of waiting, so she reached out and laid her hand on Luffy's head. He continued to stare straight ahead, and no words passed his lips, but he reached up and gently knocked his hat off so Nami could wind her fingers through his soft black hair. A soft sigh escaped her, though she tried not to let it. Luffy's hair was always so mussed up and tangled beneath his hat, with small clumps flying every which way. Simply put, his head was a mess. And Nami wouldn't have had it differently.

Again Luffy reached up, latching onto Nami's hand and drawing it away from his head. At first Nami expected him to push her away ( _why was she always fearing the worst?)_ , but instead he raised her hand to his lips and gave it a soft, nonchalant kiss. Her skin flushed where his mouth touched her. All these nights they had spent watching over the ship together, and never had Luffy kissed her hand before. It felt like a gesture better reserved for the chivalrous Sanji, who treated every woman like a princess. Though after the life Nami had always led, "princess" was probably the least likely word to describe her. She'd always discreetly rolled her eyes at Sanji's flowery compliments. "Princess" was more fitting for the dainty and gentle Vivi, not Nami the thieving pirate girl.

So why- _why_ did Luffy's touch always fool her into thinking that maybe being a princess wasn't as inaccurate as she thought? Maybe she deserved to be pampered and waited on, not in the way Sanji constantly strove to, but in a simpler way that involved secret caresses in the night and a shoulder to lean on. Maybe in Luffy's eyes she was regal and elegant- or maybe he liked her just the way he was. The possibilities were endless in such an enigmatic mind, and as usual Nami was reluctant to ask. Silence suited her far better during these nightly proceedings; there was no pressure to actually figure out what the _hell_ this was and why it was happening. It made certain that there would be no messy emotions to ruin anything, and definitely no strings attached.

An innumerable amount of time passed before Nami eventually felt Luffy's grip on her hand weaken. A second later, a heavy weight slammed into her seat, and she jumped up immediately, staring angrily down at the drowsy Luffy. "Luffy! You're not going to sleep here tonight!"

"Mmmm?" Luffy muttered, sitting up and blearily blinking his eyes open. "What?"

In answer, Nami pointed to the deck of the ship. "Unless you're up for taking over Sanji's watch, you should get out of here."

"Oh." Quietly Luffy got to his feet and made for the stairs, while Nami settled back into her chair. She was fully prepared to kick back and relax when she heard Luffy's footsteps halt on the stairs.

"Nami?" His head traveled back up to where Nami was sitting, the rest of his body halfway down the stairs. It was a ridiculous image, but somehow it still made Nami's heart skip a beat, then pick up speed.

 _Is he… is he really going to say it?_

"What is it?"

A moment's hesitation, and then- "Goodnight!"

Immediately Nami deflated. Her voice came out closer to a low growl- " _'Night,_ Luffy." His head snapped back onto his body and he departed for good, leaving Nami alone with the stars.

Huffily she crossed her arms and glared at nothing in particular. _Stupid idiot! Why's he gotta be so damn confusing all the time?_

Why did this have to go on, night after night, and still leave Nami feeling confused by the time her watch was over?

Well, there was no point in acting like a moony kid about it. Boys had never been a major interest in Nami's life, so there was no reason why she had to start now. Carefully Nami set aside all her infuriating thoughts of Luffy, and checked her Log Pose. The ship was still running its expected course. A stream of satisfaction went through her, washing away all the final feelings of warmth and confusion. Nami leaned back into her chair, content with the progress the _Merry_ had made. _Good. Good._ They might end up reaching their next island by tomorrow.

And maybe then, whatever antics their crew found themselves in could wash away that tiny voice inside Nami that kept calling, even screaming to Luffy, no matter how hard she tried to muffle it- _I love you, Luffy! I love you too!_


End file.
